Parshas Eikev

The maamarim 4

1. 1 ויאכילך את המן וגו׳ למען הודיעך וגו׳ “And He Fed You the Manna … in Order to Make You Know” The manna is heavenly dew, the “great mercy” that revives the dead and flows from G‑d’s very loftiness; the same mercy, drawn down through the Thirteen Attributes, revives a person’s soul when he feels mercy for how far it has fallen. And the manna’s becoming physical food teaches that the Torah, G‑d’s own word clothed in physical letters, is what gives man life. Maamar 1.5 paragraphs~30 min90 sourcesEnglish
2. 2 ואכלת ושבעת וברכת וגו׳ And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless The first two blessings of Grace after Meals answer to two breads: the manna, bread from heaven, drawn from Supernal Chochmah with its root in Mocha Stima’ah, above all refinement, and bread from the earth, which grows by refining the fallen sparks of Tohu. To “bless” G‑d is to draw His encompassing light into the worlds, and the land’s refinement, carried by covenant and Torah and completed in Jerusalem and on Shabbos, makes the lower world His dwelling place. Maamar 2.43 paragraphs~2 h 20 min348 sourcesEnglish
3. 3 ולהבין שרש טעם קישור וחיבור ושייכות ברית ותורה… “And to understand the root of the reason for the connection, bond and relevance of covenant and Torah to the Grace after Meals” Covenant and Torah must be mentioned in the blessing of the land because they are the channels through which G‑d’s light descends from the higher Chochmah, “bread from heaven,” to the lower Chochmah, “bread from the earth.” The land promised to Avraham through circumcision is a spiritual land of submission and boundless love, an everlasting possession that no exile takes away. Maamar 3.13 paragraphs~55 min141 sourcesEnglish
4. 4 ארץ הרים ובקעות למטר השמים תשתה מים “A land of mountains and valleys; to the rain of heaven it drinks water” The land drinks “to” the rain of heaven because what rises from below calls forth the answer from above, like a toast that invites a toast in return; and, like a seal that leaves a reversed impression, the humble “water” of self-nullification draws a greater revelation than fiery love. The “great mercy” of the Thirteen Attributes, born of G‑d’s unsearchable greatness, is drawn only into one who makes himself like leftovers. Maamar 4.10 paragraphs~30 min77 sourcesEnglish

The Rebbe’s maamarim on this parsha 4

The Rebbe built 4 of his maamarim (5723–5747) on the Alter Rebbe’s maamarim of this parsha. Each maamar’s page summarizes them, with what the Rebbe adds; or see them all together.

• Maamar 1ויאכילך את המן וגו׳ למען הודיעך וגו׳1 maamar · 5744
• Maamar 4ארץ הרים ובקעות למטר השמים תשתה מים3 maamarim · 5723–5747

Learn it in seven days Sunday to Shabbos

The Rebbe asked that all the maamarim of the week’s parsha be learned in that week, spread over its seven days. Here is the parsha in seven portions of about equal length.

1. SUNMaamar 1 ¶1 – maamar 2 ¶1~35 min
2. MONMaamar 2, ¶2–13~38 min
3. TUEMaamar 2, ¶14–23~37 min
4. WEDMaamar 2, ¶24–31~36 min
5. THUMaamar 2 ¶32 – maamar 3 ¶3~36 min
6. FRIMaamar 3, ¶4–12~38 min
7. SHABMaamar 3 ¶13 – maamar 4 ¶10~35 min